Glitz, glitches mark casino opening
DelPark regulars say they'll make a switch -- if Chester slots are more generous
By ERIC RUTH, The News Journal
Posted Wednesday, January 24, 2007
CHESTER, Pa. -- Just like Delaware Park, Harrah's new "racino" in Chester has slot machines galore. Just like Dover Downs casino and Midway Slots in Harrington, there are restaurants and horse racing and neon glitz. In fact, gambling in Chester seems a lot like gambling in Delaware, except for one big difference.
The Chester casino is brand-new.
The opening-week buzz over the area's latest gambling center drew customers by the hundreds Tuesday to the first full day of operations at Harrah's Chester Casino & Racetrack, causing a fair-to-middling traffic tie-up at lunchtime and prompting some speculation over how much business it might ultimately nab from Delaware.
For some devotees of the Delaware racinos -- especially those who visit Delaware Park, the closest to Chester -- the answer lies in the machines themselves.
"Depends on what they're giving back," said George Cimakasky of Brookhaven, Pa., about 10 minutes from the $430 million Chester casino. The Delaware Park odds have been pretty good to him and wife Kathleen, but some gamers hope the Chester machines will be even kinder -- or at least provide the competitive motivation for Del- aware Park to keep pace.
"You can't win anything down at Delaware Park," Wilmington resident Frances Smith grumbled as she played the penny machines in Chester's casino, which celebrates its grand opening Friday.
For now, the novelty of newness is drawing Delaware gamblers for some exploring and comparing. With 2,700 slots, Chester boasts 200 more machines than Delaware Park, though Delaware casinos offer more elaborate blackjack and poker "virtual dealer" games. The Chester facility has free indoor parking, but sits shoulder-to-shoulder with chuffing factories and a hard-edged state prison, creating an industrial ambience that is decidedly less leafy than Delaware Park.
Inside, neither Delaware Park nor Chester is as elaborate or grand as Dover Downs, which features more high-end dining and well-publicized celebrity entertainment. It's also no real competition for Atlantic City, especially in the summertime, said some gamblers who crave games with more pizazz than slots.
"They should have a poker room," said Candy Marchetta, of Washington Township, Pa.
"Yeah, I'm a poker player," husband Joe agreed.
"What's the big deal about putting a table in?" Candy wondered.
In the Chester casino's opening hours, there were some predictable hitches. Broken machines. Disoriented gamblers. Watery espresso. Staffers still seem a bit green, but are chipper and friendly, customers said.
Regardless of any shortcomings, the 100,000-square-foot Chester casino is an impressive venue, gamblers agreed, and will ultimately be a good addition to this problem-prone town. "Slots are also going to help their community," said racing fan George Remick of New Castle. "They helped in Delaware."
"Coming here, you'd never believe it would be as nice a place as this," Joe Marchetta said.
"I do like one thing here so far," said John Michulka of Marcus Hook, Pa. "There's more breathing room."
That "breathing room" seemed less comforting to a few gamblers who were surprised to see that indoor smoking is allowed, in contrast to Delaware's racinos. Others were pleased to be able to light up and relax for once.
Still others see the new casino not so much as a place to play the odds, but as a place to find a job. Ultimately, the facility will include nine bars and restaurants, and is expected to employ 900 to 1,000 people. Deborah Wilder and daughter Darlene Goss came to the casino's job fair Tuesday, seeking some work -- any work. "I don't know and I don't care," said Wilder, who is from Claymont. "Just get in the door."
Several Delaware Park workers are now at the Chester casino, employees there said. Slots contributed $199 million to Delaware's revenues in the 2005 fiscal year.
A spokesman for Harrah's said he didn't expect that the Chester casino would be a financial threat to Delaware. "We believe the population's so large in this area that there's plenty of business for everyone," said Jason Birney.
Robert LaFleur, gaming analyst at Susquehanna Financial Group in Bala Cynwyd, sees the state's casinos siphoning off about 5 percent of Atlantic City's yearly revenue. Harrah's Chester is projecting revenue of nearly $250 million in its first year of normalized operations, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. |
